Vintage Rohit, Rickelton guide MI to six-wicket win over LSG

Rohit Sharma made a grand return to action after recovering from an injury, smashing a half-century and adding 143 runs with Ryan Rickelton as the Mumbai Indians defeated Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets in Match 47 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

As part of a brilliant duopoly, Rohit top-scored with 84, and Rickelton, who struck some powerful shots, added 83 runs as the Mumbai Indians scripted the highest run-chase at the Wankhede as the five-time champions secured their third win in 10 matches.

They move to six points but remain rooted at the second-last spot in the points table, hanging on to their slim chances.

Put into bat, Nicholas Pooran blazed to a 16-ball half-century as he smashed 63 runs off 21 balls, and Mitchell Marsh blasted 44 off 25 as LSG survived a middle-order collapse to post a challenging 228/5 in what is a must-win match for both sides.

In reply, the Mumbai Indians capitalised on brilliant batting by half-centuries by Rohit and Rickelton and reached 229/4 in 18.4 overs to win with eight balls to spare. LSG slumped to their sixth defeat on the trot and remain at the bottom of the table with four points.

Chasing 229, MI made a cautious start as Rohit and Rickelton took them to fifty in 30 balls. Rohit, who came into the side to loud cheers after recovering from a hamstring injury, hammered 21 runs in the sixth over, smashing Avesh Khan's attempted Yorkers for two fours and two sixes in successive balls. He had a close shave when the ball fell just short of the fielder on the last delivery of Power-play as Mumbai reached 71 for no loss.

The Hitman smashed Prince Yadav for a couple of sixes in the sixth over and, with Rickelton, who struck two sixes and a four, hammered 23 runs off Impact Substitute Manimaran Siddharth. Rohit raced to his fifty off 27 balls, studded with three fours and five sixes after Rickelton raised his half-century a couple of deliveries before off 22 balls (4x4, 4x6) as they took Mumbai past the 100-run mark.

Rohit and Rickelton raised 143 runs for the opening partnership as the South African smashed a four and six off Mohsin Khan off successive balls and followed that up with a six in the 11th over before he fell for 83. Mohsin Khan had the last laugh by getting caught by Josh Inglis at cover.

Rohit, who had scored a majestic century at the same venue a few weeks back, added 34 runs for the second wicket with Tilak Varma before he departed, missing out on a well-deserved century. He blasted 84 off 44 balls (6x4, 7x6) before he fell, trying to force the pace against Manimaran Siddharth, but only managing to offer an easy catch to Mohammed Shami in the deep. It was a superb innings by the six-time IPL winner as he played some exquisite shots, pulling, flicking, lofting, and driving for boundaries as the crowd roared in appreciation.

Mumbai remained on course for their third victory of the season as they reached 187/2 at the end of the 15th over. But Varma departed for 11 off 13 balls, splicing it straight to Aiden Markam off Siddharth. Naman Dhir was dropped at cover by Inglis off Siddharth in the 16th over.

Dhir struck back-to-back fours off Prince Yadav in the 17th over as Mumbai went past 200 and then smashed Mohammed Shami for a superb six. Suryakumar Yadav dispatched a short and wide one from Shami to the boundary with a late cut but fell on the next ball, whipping one straight to Nicholas Pooran for 12 off 7 balls.

Dhir remained unbeaten on 23 off 12 balls, and Will Jacks scored 10 off four, including the six to seal a morale-boosting victory.

Earlier, asked to bat first by Suryakumar, who was leading the Mumbai Indians in the absence of Hardik Pandya, who was out with back spasms, LSG's recovery from 29/1, after losing Josh Inglis (13) early, started in the fourth over when Marsh struck Jasprit Bumrah for one six and two fours, including one off a no-ball.

Pooran got going in the next over, smashing back-to-back sixes and a four as they scored 20 runs off Will Jacks. The sixth over went for 19 runs as Pooran smashed Ghazanfar for two sixes and a four as LSG reached 90/1 in the Power-play.

Pooran and Marsh hammered 94 runs in five overs starting from the fourth, as the West Indian dasher blazed to his half-century off 16 balls, smashing one four and seven sixes.

Things turned for the Mumbai Indians in the eventful 9th over when Corbin Bosch struck two crucial blows, after conceding 16 runs in his first over. Bosch first snapped up the rampaging Pooran for 63 (21 balls, 1x4, 8x6), trying to pull a short ball, and then sent back Marsh for a 25-ball 44 (25 balls, 4x4, 3x6).

LSG's troubles continued as skipper Pant edged back to Rickelton off Will Jacks for a 10-ball 15 (1x4, 1x6) and Akshat Raghuwanshi was caught by leggie Raghu Sharma off his own bowling for a 7-ball 11. Lucknow Super Giants, who were cruising at 123/1 at the end of the eighth over, slumped to 160/5 in the 13th over.

Bumrah had Himmat Singh caught behind off a no-ball, and MI followed up with a couple of quiet overs.

However, Aiden Markram, who lost his top-order slot to Pooran, held the innings together with Himmat, who was put down by Suryakumar. They broke the shackles with the former smashing Ghazanfar for a four in the first ball of the 16th over before Himmat stepped down to wallop him for a six and followed it up with a four off the next delivery.

Markram and Himmat took LSG past the 200-run mark as they raised fifty of their partnership in 32 balls. They stayed together till the end, with Himmat Singh hitting some brave shots on his way to 40 not out (31 balls, 2x4, 2x6) and Markram staying unbeaten on 31 off 25 (1x4, 1x6), and raised 68 runs for the unfinished sixth wicket partnership as LSG posted a challenging total.

Agencies

Brief scores:

Lucknow Super Giants 228/5 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 63, Mitchell Marsh 44, Himmat Singh 40 not out, Aiden Markram 31 not out; Corbin Bosch 2-20, Raghu Sharma 1-36) lost to Mumbai Indians229/4 in 18.4 overs (Rohit Sharma 84, Ryan Rickelton 83, Naman Dhir 23 not out; Manimaran Siddharth 2-47) by six wickets